Before I became a personal trainer, I worked at a desk, from 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday. At first I liked it! I enjoyed dressing up, packing my lunch, decorating my cubicle, and interacting with my co-workers. But I’d quickly realized just how little I moved during the day, especially when I was busy. And I realized how many treats were in the break room, from donut Fridays to someone’s birthday, and the holidays. I also began to realize how mentally and physically tired I was, just from sitting all day. The couch and a bowl of pasta often sounded much better than the gym followed by a salad.

Most of us have been guilty of giving that quick “sure!” response to that seemingly age old question: “Would you like to super size that?” It almost seems natural to expect nothing less than a liter of your favorite cola to be offered for “only a quarter more!” wherever you go these days. And many of us don’t think twice about getting the extra large order of fries. But how much is too much? And what part does this all play in the rising obesity trends in our country?

Everyone has seen the Geico commercials and heard the phrase, “15 minutes can save you 15% on car insurance.” Their ads are clever and they spend over $500 million a year to recite that phrase on your TV thousands of times per year. However, inundating us with clever ads is not the only secret to their success. Let’s talk about Geico later.